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Notes:

Otis is a carefree party cow who enjoys singing, dancing and playing tricks on humans. Unlike his father Ben, the respected patriarch of the farm, and Miles, the wise old mule, Otis is unconcerned about keeping the animals' humanlike talents a secret. But when suddenly put in the position of responsibility, the "udderly" irresponsible cow finds the courage to be a leader.

Animated Comedy - This is an animated film aimed toward a kid audience. There are
some sophisticated and crude gags, but on the whole this is one for
the kids. There are some intense moments of animal attack,
however, that may be strong for the very young children.

Roger EbertFull ReviewAbove Average You won't be upset or disappointed -- in a major way -- by going to see this cheerful movie, it just won't make you walk away feeling you've just witnessed anything unique or terribly special. And while the computer-generated animation is fine, it too doesn't give us anything we haven't seen before.

USA TodayFull ReviewAbove Average There's some serious gender-bending going on in Nickelodeon's latest animated venture. Barnyard just might be the Transamerica of computer-generated family films. It's a sweet and mildly funny movie that will entertain young audiences, but one aspect is utterly mystifying: The two main characters, father and son bovine creatures, have large, distracting udders.

Note: The rating
above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on
their review. We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.

OPINION OVERVIEWThe following is the original "What's Worth
Watching" write-up for this movie.

Moviegoer Opinions:

Based on a theater exit polling of 82 moviegoers:"Barn Yard" is unlikely to be a major hit like "Shrek," but it's an average to above average movie for adults and certainly enjoyed by children and young teens. The lack of any real low opinions from adults allows me to recommend "Barn Yard" as a great movie for the entire family. Everyone should enjoy it, at least to some degree.

Down on the farm, the farmer thinks he's in charge, keeping all the animals safe
and sound. But when the farmer is out of sight, the lookout sheep shouts "Clear!" and
all of the barnyard animals spring up on two legs, walk, talk, watch TV, and orchestrate
outrageous practical jokes.

For Otis the cow, that last one is the most important. He and his best friends -
Pip the mouse, Freddy the ferret, Peck the rooster, and Pig the pig - are
world-class
pranksters and always in the mood for a laugh. Otis is in a state of arrested
development and quite happy that way.

Otis's dad, Ben, is the cow who makes sure the farm is running on all cylinders.
Each morning, Ben leads a meeting to take care of farm business and to issue warnings
about their common enemy, the coyotes. (It's a position that Ben takes seriously: "As
long as I'm still kickin'," he says, "no animal will be harmed inside that fence!") Ben
wants Otis to grow up and take responsibility.

Much to Ben's chagrin, Otis's main project comes to life every evening. As soon
as the Farmer hits lights out, the barn is transformed into Party Central. On this night,
there's even a pretty new cow, Daisy - Otis hams it up for her, and she can't help but be
attracted to his fun-loving personality.

That world is not for Ben. He's outside, guarding the fence and protecting the
farm from the coyotes. When Otis explains to Ben that being on watch isn't "his thing."
Ben responds: "Otis, a strong man stands up for himself, a stronger man stands up for
others."

When Ben is no longer able to lead, Otis tries to keep order but the role of leader
does not come as naturally for him. Without Ben to keep everyone in line, absolute
mayhem breaks loose and it isn't long before the farmer begins to get to the bottom of
the animals' secret… and the scheming coyotes begin to think that the farm could be
theirs for the taking.